Alex Ovechkin Scores Game Winner in Washington Capitals Win Over Panthers
The Washington Capitals pick up their third straight win by beating the Florida Panthers, with a game winning goal from Alex Ovechkin and a dominant third period.
The Washington Capitals have plenty to be excited about tonight, as they picked up their third straight win and their fourth straight game with at least one point. It all started with a goal from Justin Williams to get things going, followed by a goal from Evgeny Kuznetsov to take an early 2-0 lead in the first. Florida would later come back with two goals of their own to tie it, including Jaromir Jagr picking up his 750th career goal on a power play. The Caps would fight back, however, as they dominated the third period 13-6 in shots. This would help captain Alex Ovechkin pick up what would be the game winner. Close to the end, Marcus Johansson scored an unassisted breakaway goal to seal the game in the Caps favor, and they walked away with a decisive 4-2 win.
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Here are some takeaways I’ve found from the game:
Capitals scoring first once again.
Once again, the Capitals had a hot start. The one thing that some people had concern for with this team was whether or not they would be starting off games slow this season. For the first four games so far, including tonight, the Washington Capitals scored first and so far, they’ve gotten seven points. Time will tell if the Caps can keep this up, but if they can keep up this good performance, then they will have no trouble staying competitive.
Still need improvement from the penalty kill.
The Caps are ranked 26th in the penalty kill so far in this early season. While it is early and I’m certain things will pick up for the Capitals, it is a bit concerning to see them ranked towards the bottom in a stat they were good in last season. Giving up a PP goal tonight didn’t help that, especially when it happens to be a milestone from a player such as Jagr. As for special teams, the Caps found themselves on the kill more than the advantage, having only one man advantage against Florida.
Kuzy gets his first of the season.
Last season’s clubhouse leader in points, Evgeny Kuznetsov, picked up his first goal of the season. Though he was the leader last season, Kuzy had his streaks where he was missing from the scoring sheet. Fortunately, Kuznetsov’s hard work paid off this game with a goal to give the Caps the early 2-0 lead. Let’s just hope this is the start of another great season for the young center.
The Capitals are starting off strong, but they will be tested this Saturday night as they face the New York Rangers.